“Bronya and Seele have made it back, so we can clock out and call it a day. As for the Mei situation, I’ve already left behind some information—the几位 doctors at Anti-Entropy will find it.”
Enoxia raised her hand, signaling Sirin and Misteln to open the path back to the real world.
“Even if it means letting Bronya understand that she’s powerless against the Herrscher of Binding?”
“Bronya’s clearly not the type to crumble after a setback. Making her feel that helplessness—so she truly understands where her limits lie—is definitely better than letting her become a Herrscher with blind overconfidence.”
“After all… the Herrscher of Binding of this era, in a certain sense… is much more troublesome than the one from the Previous Civilization…”
“You mean…”
“Mm, exactly what you’re thinking. But now’s not the time yet. Otto… will give us that chance.”
March 31, 2017. Elysian Realm.
Even though Enoxia knew she hadn’t done much, she still wanted to fully unwind before any possible battles that might lie ahead.
In the Elysian Realm lobby, Elysia was lounging lazily on the sofa as usual. The moment she noticed Enoxia’s arrival, she waved at her, then patted the spot beside her.
Enoxia sat down with a smile right where Elysia had indicated, then leaned her body toward her, letting her head rest perfectly against Elysia’s shoulder.
Just like she did with Sirin, Elysia reached out with her right index finger and poked at Enoxia’s slightly puffed-out cheek. Whether it was because of her perfect touch or simply because it was Elysia doing it, Enoxia found the sensation on her face incredibly pleasant.
Even though it actually felt wonderful, Enoxia—knowing Elysia would indulge her even more—couldn’t help but get a little greedy. The smile on her face gradually turned sly. After a few pokes, Elysia pulled her finger back and instead picked up a lock of Enoxia’s hair, idly playing with it.
Seizing the moment, Enoxia scooted closer to Elysia until their bodies were pressed together, then gave her a playful blink.
Elysia immediately got the hint. She reached out and pulled Enoxia right into her arms. Though Enoxia knew that even if she burrowed into Elysia’s embrace on her own, she’d never be refused—the feeling of being pulled in willingly was something else entirely.
As everyone knows, in Honkai Impact 3rd, the eternal debate of whether Kiana tops or Mei tops is a topic that never gets old. During one particular live stream preview, the chat actually spent the entire broadcast arguing over this very question, successfully drowning out all the spam from unknown bots.
After years of observing the two of them, Enoxia had come to her own conclusion: Kiana is a top on the outside but a bottom on the inside—essentially a bottom through and through—while Raiden Mei is currently a bottom on the outside and a top on the inside, with the potential to become a top both inside and out, making her a true top in reality. Even as the Herrscher of Finality, faced with a confident pure top, she’ll never escape the fate of being knocked out cold.
Of course, she knew that this question had no definitive answer, and no matter how she explained it, someone would always argue otherwise. But one thing was certain—whether you were a Kiana top or a Mei top, the moment you ran into Elysia, you’d obediently become a bottom. Enoxia had thought about it for a long time and couldn’t seem to find anyone who could turn Elysia into a bottom. After all… when it came to that sort of thing, Elysia’s abilities truly were unmatched.
Since she was definitely no match for Elysia in this regard, Enoxia decided to just lean back and embrace the role. When all she had to do was nothing, and Elysia would take the initiative to get close, even getting handsy—well, she figured being a bottom wasn’t so bad. And being Elysia’s bottom? Even if people found out, there was absolutely no shame in it.
“So, what interesting story are you going to share with me this time?”
“…With the help of Sirin and Misteln, I created a data space inside a world bubble in the Sea of Quanta. Using the Elysian Realm’s data, I let Bronya and Seele… immerse themselves in what you all went through back then—the battle against the eleventh Herrscher.”
At the mention of the Binding Tragedy, even the ever-cheerful Elysia saw her smile gradually fade.
“The Binding Tragedy… that really is an apt name for it. If only there had been more Herrschers like Bronya back then… the Flame-Chasers in the Elysian Realm now would surely be more than just the thirteen of us…”
The reason Herrschers of the current era might fight for humanity ultimately traces back to Elysia’s sacrifice. So clearly, for those from the Previous Civilization, such a scenario could only ever remain a distant dream.
Not to mention—without knowing what abilities the next Herrscher would have or where they’d appear—no one could have possibly predicted in advance that a being born from Honkai would inherently be capable of eliminating it. That defied all common sense.
Enoxia thought that if the current era didn’t have the advantage of prior knowledge, even with multiple Herrschers willing to fight for humanity like they did now, facing a Herrscher of Binding that appeared out of nowhere with unknown abilities would still be one hell of a problem.
“Sister…”
“But, all of that is in the past now. Letting people of the present know our story is also meant to give everyone more choices—so they can move forward better, right?”
Seeing the smile return to Elysia’s lips, Enoxia smiled too. Elysia was just like any ordinary person—she had her joys and sorrows, her anger and grief. She could be saddened by distrust, by the loss of comrades, by the fall of a civilization.
But after that sadness, she could quickly bounce back to an optimistic mindset and keep moving forward with positivity and determination. Perhaps that was exactly where her greatest charm lay.
With that thought, Enoxia sat up from Elysia’s embrace.
“Ready to leave already?”
“Mm. The Elysian Realm is a place where you can pause, stay awhile, and let yourself truly relax. No matter when, or for whatever reason, as long as I need to unwind, I can always come curl up in sister’s arms. But a person can’t stay lost in relaxation forever. Why does life sleep? Because we must always wake up. Once we’ve rested enough, it’s time to move forward and face tomorrow’s life.”
“What I’m about to deal with next is the Herrscher of Sentience of the current era—a very interesting person. Sister, you can look forward to it, okay?”
Volume 13: Feathers of a Thousand Years
